IR-2023-175, Sept. 19, 2023 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service has selected eight new members for the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC). Established by law in 1998, the ETAAC is a public forum for the discussion of issues in electronic tax administration. The committee's original goal was to promote paperless filing of tax and information returns, but the group's focus has expanded in recent years. Now, ETAAC members work closely with the Security Summit, a joint effort of the IRS, state tax administrators and the nation's tax industry to fight identity theft and refund fraud. Committee members include state tax officials, cybersecurity and information security specialists, tax preparers, tax software developers and representatives of the payroll and financial communities as well as consumer groups. The following individuals have been appointed to serve three-year terms on the committee beginning in September 2023: Ronald Gilson, Springville, Utah – Gilson is co-owner of Krkcr Inc. He has worked in the accounting software and services industry since 1997 in various capacities, including software platform implementation, project development of new software platforms, and tax and payroll compliance, including file schema updates. Gilson is experienced in payroll management and project administration, implementation of software systems, electronic file creation and customer account management. He serves as vice president on the board of directors of PayrollOrg (formerly the American Payroll Association) and is current co-chair of the association's Electronic Payments Subcommittee. Robert Grennes, Indianapolis, Indiana – Grennes is commissioner of the Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR), a role he has performed since February 2020. He joined the DOR as chief operating officer in 2017, where he worked with more than 500 operations division team members designing, operating, and improving all operations and service delivery functions. Before joining DOR, Grennes worked in the private sector, leading information technology and financial services organizations while holding a variety of management, executive and board positions. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Federation of Tax Administrators. Douglas Harding, Ellington, Connecticut – Harding is tax corrections principal examiner at the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services, where he has been since 2013. He served as the department's electronic filing coordinator, overseeing all aspects of the Modernized e-File Program, including schema development, internal testing, software vendor testing and troubleshooting production issues. Andrew Jennison, Vienna, Virginia – Jennison is director, government relations, at CGI Technologies and Solutions. He has experience in the tax services industry as a systems integrator on a state tax administration task force and has graduate accounting education. For seven years, Jennison led and directed the legislative and regulatory team of a large, national tax preparation company at both the federal and state levels. During this time, he developed relationships and partnered with community organizations, non-profits and industry to promote the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child and Dependent Care Credit and reduce the impact of fraud and abuse on underserved communities. Carol Lew, Laguna Hills, California – Lew is a shareholder with Stradling, Yocca, Carlson and Rauth in Newport Beach, California. She is a tax lawyer and has substantial experience with tax exempt bond audits and tax-exempt bond voluntary closing agreement program cases. Lew served as president of the National Association of Bond Lawyers from 2006-2007, and as chair of the American Bar Association's Tax-Exempt Financing Committee from 2001-2003. She has experience as bond counsel, underwriter's counsel, special tax counsel and borrower's counsel for various kinds of bond issues for state and local government and non-profits for the provision of public infrastructure, housing, charter schools, performing arts facilities, hospitals, museums and other types of facilities. Lew served as editor-in-chief of the Federal Taxation of Municipal Bonds from 2000-2001. She served on the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council from 2019 to 2022, including as chair in 2022. Amy Wang Miller, Washington, D.C. – Wang Miller is director, public policy, at Carta Inc. She leads initiatives to promote e-filing for small business, advises financial services member companies on strategic methods to inform business decisions as well as internal and external messaging. Wang Miller leads policy engagement strategy with both legislators and regulators related to taxation, valuation and corporate governance. Prior to Carta, Wang Miller was employed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), where she led tax policy initiatives involving cryptocurrency, education reform, disaster relief, the digital economy as well as other individual, business and international issues. She has advocated on behalf of AICPA members in tax technical areas before Congress, Treasury and the IRS. Stephanie Plaza, Easton, Pennsylvania – Plaza is senior lead product manager at Wolters Kluwer. She has worked in the tax software development and financial products industry for more than 12 years. During her tenure in the tax industry, Plaza has worked with The Council for Electronic Revenue Communication Advancement (CERCA) and more recently the American Coalition for Taxpayers Rights (ACTR). Through CERCA, she has worked with the IRS on taxpayer experience and digital services. Mark Steber, Sarasota, Florida – Steber is chief tax officer with Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, where he serves as liaison to the IRS, states and other government authorities. He has been an active participant in the IRS Security Summit since its founding in early 2015. Steber has been involved with the Summit's Information Sharing, Authentication, Strategic Threat Assessment and Response, and the Tax Pro working groups. He is active with various industry groups, including ACTR and CERCA. Prior to joining Jackson Hewitt, Steber was a tax partner with Ernst and Young LLP. He previously served on ETAAC from 2017 to 2020. Committee Leadership for 2023 – 2024 Timur Taluy, CEO and co-owner of FileYourTaxes.com, will serve as chair of the ETAAC. Vernon Barnett, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Revenue, will serve as co-chair of the ETAAC.
